Eliana Urzua
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
Bruins Edge Spartans in Five to Close Out Regular Season
November 28, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The UCLA women's volleyball team capped off its regular season campaign with a thrilling five-set win over Michigan State on Friday afternoon inside the Breslin Center.
Set scores were 17-25, 25-14, 25-23, 18-25, 15-9.
The Bruins (18-12, 12-8 Big Ten) secured their sixth five-set win of the season and closed the regular season with victories in four of their last five matches. UCLA has won six of seven contests that went the distance, including four of five during Big Ten play.
The victory gives the Bruins their most wins in a season since head coach Alfee Reft's first year in 2023 when they posted an identical 18-12 overall record.
Senior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette posted a team-high 17 kills while adding five digs on the defensive end.
Eliana Urzua ascended into double-digits with 13 kills and nine digs in the contest and Marianna Singletary joined her in double figures with 12 kills, also sending back five blocks.
Reaching 50 assists for the second straight match was Kate Duffey, and Lola Schumacher went beyond the 20-dig threshold yet again.
Brooklyn Briscoe enjoyed a solid all-around performance with nine kills (.353), five total blocks, and one solo block.
A successful challenge gave Michigan State a 4-3 edge in the fifth set, but Kiki Horne entered the match and immediately sparked a 3-0 UCLA run capped by a Kat Lutz ace to put the Bruins ahead 8-7 at the switch. Lutz added another ace to extend the surge to four points during her pivotal service run. UCLA then won a lengthy rally that was finished by a Leverette kill to push the lead to 11-8 and force a Spartan timeout. The Bruins closed strong, reeling off a final 4-0 run to secure the set 15-9 and the match in five.
Leverette opened with two kills to spark a 4-1 UCLA run, but Michigan State answered with eight straight points to take control. Singletary broke the streak with a side-out kill, and the Bruins rallied for a 5-1 stretch to pull within 15-12. However, the Spartans would hit .367 as a team in the opening frame to close the set 25-17.
Briscoe recorded two blocks to fuel UCLA's 6-4 lead in the second set. Urzua hammered an overpass to finish a 3-0 run that pushed the Bruins ahead 7-4, but Michigan State answered with three straight points to tie it at 7. From there, UCLA dominated, taking 18 of the next 24 points, including a run of nine consecutive points, to claim the set 25-14. The Bruins were nearly flawless on offense, hitting .462 with only one attacking error.
Singletary opened the third set with a kill that kickstarted a 4-0 UCLA run. Michigan State answered with four straight points to move in front 8-7. The Bruins responded with a 3-0 burst highlighted by a block from Duffey and Singletary, but the Spartans battled back to cut the margin to 16-14 and force a UCLA timeout. Out of the break, Leverette and Singletary combined for a block that sparked another 3-0 run and pushed the Bruins ahead 19-14, prompting a Michigan State timeout. UCLA reached set point at 24-21, and though the Spartans fought off two, Leverette and Singletary delivered a decisive block to seal the frame 25-23.
Michigan State opened the fourth set with a 4-0 run to grab a 5-3 lead. UCLA answered with a 3-0 spurt behind a Briscoe kill and block to move in front 7-6. Another three-point push gave the Bruins a 9-7 edge and carried them to a 15-12 advantage at the media break. The Spartans responded with a momentum-swinging five-point run to build a 21-14 cushion and closed out the frame 25-18 to force a fifth set.
The Bruins' postseason fate will be revealed during the NCAA Tournament selection show on Sunday, Nov. 30 at 3 p.m. PT.
Set scores were 17-25, 25-14, 25-23, 18-25, 15-9.
The Bruins (18-12, 12-8 Big Ten) secured their sixth five-set win of the season and closed the regular season with victories in four of their last five matches. UCLA has won six of seven contests that went the distance, including four of five during Big Ten play.
The victory gives the Bruins their most wins in a season since head coach Alfee Reft's first year in 2023 when they posted an identical 18-12 overall record.
Senior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette posted a team-high 17 kills while adding five digs on the defensive end.
Eliana Urzua ascended into double-digits with 13 kills and nine digs in the contest and Marianna Singletary joined her in double figures with 12 kills, also sending back five blocks.
Reaching 50 assists for the second straight match was Kate Duffey, and Lola Schumacher went beyond the 20-dig threshold yet again.
Brooklyn Briscoe enjoyed a solid all-around performance with nine kills (.353), five total blocks, and one solo block.
A successful challenge gave Michigan State a 4-3 edge in the fifth set, but Kiki Horne entered the match and immediately sparked a 3-0 UCLA run capped by a Kat Lutz ace to put the Bruins ahead 8-7 at the switch. Lutz added another ace to extend the surge to four points during her pivotal service run. UCLA then won a lengthy rally that was finished by a Leverette kill to push the lead to 11-8 and force a Spartan timeout. The Bruins closed strong, reeling off a final 4-0 run to secure the set 15-9 and the match in five.
Leverette opened with two kills to spark a 4-1 UCLA run, but Michigan State answered with eight straight points to take control. Singletary broke the streak with a side-out kill, and the Bruins rallied for a 5-1 stretch to pull within 15-12. However, the Spartans would hit .367 as a team in the opening frame to close the set 25-17.
Briscoe recorded two blocks to fuel UCLA's 6-4 lead in the second set. Urzua hammered an overpass to finish a 3-0 run that pushed the Bruins ahead 7-4, but Michigan State answered with three straight points to tie it at 7. From there, UCLA dominated, taking 18 of the next 24 points, including a run of nine consecutive points, to claim the set 25-14. The Bruins were nearly flawless on offense, hitting .462 with only one attacking error.
Singletary opened the third set with a kill that kickstarted a 4-0 UCLA run. Michigan State answered with four straight points to move in front 8-7. The Bruins responded with a 3-0 burst highlighted by a block from Duffey and Singletary, but the Spartans battled back to cut the margin to 16-14 and force a UCLA timeout. Out of the break, Leverette and Singletary combined for a block that sparked another 3-0 run and pushed the Bruins ahead 19-14, prompting a Michigan State timeout. UCLA reached set point at 24-21, and though the Spartans fought off two, Leverette and Singletary delivered a decisive block to seal the frame 25-23.
Michigan State opened the fourth set with a 4-0 run to grab a 5-3 lead. UCLA answered with a 3-0 spurt behind a Briscoe kill and block to move in front 7-6. Another three-point push gave the Bruins a 9-7 edge and carried them to a 15-12 advantage at the media break. The Spartans responded with a momentum-swinging five-point run to build a 21-14 cushion and closed out the frame 25-18 to force a fifth set.
The Bruins' postseason fate will be revealed during the NCAA Tournament selection show on Sunday, Nov. 30 at 3 p.m. PT.
Team Stats
UCLA
MSU
Kills
53
63
Errors
22
25
Attempts
148
163
Hitting %
.209
.233
Points
70.0
81.0
Assists
50
56
Aces
4
8
Blocks
13
10
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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